Victoria native Jim Rutledge is in again on next year's Champions Tour.

Photographed by:Bruce Stotesbury, timescolonist.com

VANCOUVER — Jim Rutledge seems to finally have the hang of this Q school thing.

Perhaps no other Canadian golfer has attended as many qualifying schools as the 53-year-old Victoria native, and all that experience appears to be paying off. For the second straight year, Rutledge on Friday earned a passing grade and survived to play another season on the Champions Tour. He hopes he doesn't have to return to try and complete the Q school hat trick next fall.

"This was not an easy week," a mentally drained Rutledge said over the phone from Coral Springs, Fla. "This was hell, not unlike any other Tour school. I've managed to get through the last two of these. Now I would like to avoid the next one."

And maybe the one after that.

It took a playoff for Rutledge to secure one of the precious five full playing cards up for grabs at the TPC Eagle Trace course. After firing a one-under 71 in Friday's final round, Rutledge finished the 72-hole event at six-under par and in a four-way tie for fourth place.

That meant a playoff for the final two exempt spots with American John Riegger, Esteban Toledo of Mexico and Chie-Hsiang Lin of Taiwan.

Rutledge earned the fourth seed by birdieing the first playoff hole. Riegger earned the fifth and final card.

"I rolled in a 20-footer for birdie on the first playoff hole," said Rutledge, who attempted and failed at PGA Tour Q school more times than he'd care to remember.

It was a nice way to end what Rutledge said was a highly stressful week. He had to recover from a triple-bogey during Thursday's third round and battled his driver much of the week.

"I am feeling relieved," he said. "My iron play was pretty good and my putting was pretty good, but I didn't drive the ball as well as I would have liked. But overall, I am very happy."

At last year's Q school, Rutledge managed to separate himself from the pack with a nine-under 62 in the second round en route to a second-place tie. On Friday, he had to grind until the end and credited some Canadian tourists in his gallery with helping him know where he stood the final few holes.

"One of them had his cellphone so he was giving scores to Jill (Rutledge's wife and caddy). Otherwise, we have no idea. Every once in a while he gave us a little insight into where we stood."

There was an interesting twist that took some of the pressure off the playoff contestants. Riegger and second-place finisher Jeff Brehaut both turn 50 on June 13 of next year and will not be eligible to play until then. That means the two playoff losers will be exempt until mid-June.

"It was a good scenario for everybody, really," Rutledge said. "That would have enabled us all to play the first eight or nine events. But we just wanted to try and do better than that and fortunately we did."

So Rutledge, who has earned more than $850,000 in his first three years on the Champions Tour, can look forward to another year of no cuts and no Monday qualifying.

American Gene Bates won by three shots with a score of 13-under. Mark Mouland of Wales was third.

CHIP SHOTS: Merritt's Roger Sloan has advanced to the final stage of PGA Tour qualifying school. Sloan fired an even-par 72 Friday to finish at eight-under par and tied for 12th at a second stage Q school site in Houston, where the top 19 and ties advanced. He'll join Abbotsford native Adam Hadwin at final stage, which goes Nov. 28-Dec. 3 in La Quinta, Calif. Ryan Yip of Calgary and Ontario's Richard Scott also advanced to the Q school finals on Friday.